Hello ZecHub! Responding to the Video Feedback & ZNodes Q&A

[SafeguardLabs]

Hellooo Zcash community. Before we start, the most important thing I want to mention is that this post is for the members of ZecHub DAO that i recently saw in the YouTube ZECHUB video that they want to get some feedback of this propose.

I created this space specifically to get your feedback and find solutions together. If you have questions or doubts, please ask me and I will try to answer so fast so we can keep moving forward.

Ohh and if someone else from this community has other questions, you can put them here and I will answer

MVP: Znodes Plataform
Github Repository: Code of Znodes (Github)

Addressing the ZecHub Feedback (Zebra vs. Zcashd)

I listened to the video where ZecHub made an analysis of my project. Someone asked: “Why don’t we add zcashd and only Zebra?”

Well, I want to say that we made some changes to the crawler logic. That is why we are making steps or phases to complete the development of the ZNodes platform.

Here you can see a table with the technical differences between our implementation and the current standard:

Comparison: ZNodes vs. Ziggurat of ZecHub

Feature	ZNodes	Ziggurat ZecHub	Impact
Concurrent Connections	2,500	1,200	2x capacity, faster mapping
Attempts per Cycle	1,000	500	More aggressive discovery
Handshake Timeout	2,000ms	300ms	Captures slow Zebra nodes
Reconnection Interval	60s	300s	Fresher data
DNS Refresh	Every 2min	Only at start	Auto-discovers new seeds
Error Handling	Warn + Continue	Panic + Terminate	24/7 Stability
Flux Filtering	4 Layers	Basic	Eliminates ~2,000 fake nodes
APIs	3 endpoints	1 endpoint	getmetrics, getstats, getnodes
Prioritization	Nodes w/o metadata first	Uniform Random	More efficient mapping

When we started adding these modifications, we had some problems in development because we accidentally made a mix of functions. That’s why we decided to use the ZecHub crawler as a base but implement our new functions step-by-step to ensure stability and we start with the changes in zebra and then we finish with zcashd and this helps to focus in the development of the fuctions.

Grant Request

I am trying to ask for a grant from ZecHub to start developing a new platform for Zcash. This platform is a Node Explorer that is going to show all the “good nodes” (stable and verified).

• Total Grant Amount: $9,850 USD
• Timeline: 3 Months of work

You can see more information on the crawler and the full proposal in the link below. I don’t want to dump a lot of information here, so if someone has specific questions, you can visit the proposal or ask me in this post.

Link to Last Proposal: View on DAODAO (A125)

Future Work

If we get the funding, here is the plan:

1. Backend Upgrade: Improving the crawler with Ziggurat logic to efficiently detect both Zebra and Zcashd nodes.
2. Trust Score: We will classify nodes with a stability score.
3. UI/UX Design: We will hire an external designer to build a clean, ad-free ‘White & Professional’ interface.
4. Privacy-First Map: Implement a live map that respects 100% privacy (zero doxxing, only general regions).
5. Public API: Launch endpoints for other devs.
6. Security: Bulletproof the platform with security audits to guarantee we keep no logs or IPs, ensuring we cover absolutely every necessary front.

That’s why we are asking for $9,850.

I am ready for your questions and ideas, thanks so much

[dismad]

Hi why are you creating mulitple threads for this?

We are flying blind on network topology. Introducing ZNodes (Live MVP)

I would recommend joining our sync meetings so you can introduce yourself and your project. That will give folks time to ask you questions too. [ZecHub | Sync Meet (12/02/2025)] One of the questions I had was regarding zcashd. We also use Ziggurat and by default it outputs all zcashd nodes so it wasn’t clear to me why your site didn’t show them. I few dao members who run nodes also couldn’t find their running nodes in your list which also caused confusion.

it seems the github you listed on A125 is related to @EmilioNM are you related?

ZCG - Use of AI and Enforcement

Dear Zcash Community, In the coming days and weeks, you may notice ZCG closing grant applications earlier and issuing faster rejections. This change is being implemented to prevent the application process from becoming a drain on both the committee and the broader Zcash community. While the committee takes no issue with AI being used as a tool during the application process, we are finding that the traditional signals used to evaluate grants are becoming less reliable due to an influx of low-q…

[SafeguardLabs]

Hi Dismand, I’m creating another thread. I don’t know if I’m right, but I feel like a fresh start grabs more attention since it’s something new. My only worry is that unless it gets a lot of traction, people will just revert to this one.

I’m not related to him. I did use one of his threads to get some information because I remembered seeing it, but there is no connection. I am showing you the MVP and the code. regarding the ban reason, there is a difference between a user asking for grants with nothing to show, and a user asking for a grant for something they have already built.

[dismad]

@SafeguardLabs

I’m not related to him. I did use one of his threads to get some information because I remembered seeing it, but there is no connection.

Your proposal links to a github, that is now deleted, that includes the name Social-Mask-Labs/znodes and then we have this:

The Social Mask — ZCG application (feedback & support welcome)

Hi everyone I’ve just posted my Zcash Community Grants proposal for The Social Mask, a platform to help journalists and citizens share sensitive information safely and without censorship. We plan to enable anonymous tipping and, next, shielded ZEC support—aligned with Zcash’s privacy mission. Proposal thread: La máscara social - Solicitud de subvención I’d be grateful for: A supportive comment if you think this adds value to the ecosystem, or A quick construct…

So i hope you can understand how this looks? ZecHub is independent of ZCG however being honest will go a long way with getting proposals passed.

[SafeguardLabs]

Hello Dismad, I am checking and I don’t see where my proposal is linked to social mask labs. Can you please give me more information because I am not related? Also, the profile of my mini-business is jules0x.xyz. Can you please be more specific?

[dismad]

@SafeguardLabs

Link to Last Proposal: View on DAODAO (A125)

DaoDao props can not be edited. The original link stands.

[SafeguardLabs]

Look, in the proposal I put this link: Where Are All the Zcash Nodes? Exploring a Simple, Clear View of the Network - #2 by EmilioNM

because I was checking all that, and also Ziggurat. Now I’m looking into Crunch, the tool from the video.

I’ll be honest with you, I’m not associated with Emilio. If you want, I can send my ID, but I’d rather keep it anonymous. Normally, I send forums and have the AI make a summary, and then sometimes it messes up the links or logs me out, because I didn’t have the code on Git at that time.

I’m a bit surprised, but if you want to check my profile, here’s the link: GitHub - Jules0x-xyz/Znodes-Crawler-Zcash: This is a modified version of the Ziggurat crawler, with several improvements designed to enhance its functionality and enable better analysis of Zcash network nodes. The goal of this project is to simplify the process of understanding the overall health of the Zcash ecosystem.

. If you need any credentials from me, I can send them anonymously. And about the comparative table between Zechub and my crawler, I made it with the AI because honestly, I don’t know how to make it. Sometimes the info gets mixed up, but I have nothing to do with EmilioNM.

[SafeguardLabs]

To be honest, I want to open up a little bit here. If you want to investigate me, that is fine, I have no problem with that.

I admit I might have made a small mistake because I often use AI to analyze things it helps me to read and understand topics more faster and maybe something slipped through. But you can check all my posts that i made and any post it is written with IA. I am obsessed with building this crawler for Zcash. Even if you don’t want to give me the grant to continue, I want to keep going because this is something I love and it helps me cope.

I don’t know if this is bannable, and honestly, I didn’t know it was wrong to create multiple threads, but I want to explain the name Jules0x. It is the name of the company I am building. “Jules” comes from a very spectacular girl I knew a long time ago named Julia. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out between us, but she was important to me. The “0x” is because I was inspired by the crypto project 0x, so I added it. I felt that just “Julia” wouldn’t fit a tech company, but the sentiment is there.

I am building this crawler and doing all of this because it is a way to entertain myself and keep my mind busy. I am not looking to get rich, believe me. I just want to develop. The AI helps me read, not write my core thoughts as I said, check my history.

Right now, I am going through a very bad situation in my life. I lost one of the best women I have ever known, I haven’t been able to find a job, and my dad was on the verge of having cirrhosis. The only thing I want is a distraction. I swear to you, I just want to entertain myself with something, to build something. But I have put all my money into this crawler and my projects, and I am currently in debt. I want to continue, but I don’t have the money, and that is why I am asking for the grant to be able to keep developing.

I don’t want to scam anyone. To be honest, I felt a bit incriminated by the comments because I didn’t know how to respond when accused. I don’t want you to take this as me playing the victim, I am not asking for pity. I just want to give you an introduction so you know the real person behind the screen.

If you decide not to give me the grant, that is fine. I will try to keep developing my project. The code is on GitHub; if you or any member want to use it to build something better, it is my gift to you. But believe me, I am not doing this for profit or to harm anyone. I just want to keep my mind occupied because, honestly, I can’t stand having to pretend that everything is fine when things are going really badly for me.

I wrote this mostly so you can really get to know who I am. You have the final decision, but believe me whether you understand me or not venting this out and crying while writing it has been the most liberating thing I have done in a long time.

I also want to say thank you for the support I have found here. Thank you to @dismad for sharing the information I needed to keep developing, and thank you to @shieldedmark for the feedback on my crawler. They might seem like small things to you, but I appreciate them so much. Those gestures made me feel appreciated again, a feeling I had lost. Byeee Thanks a lot for the support

[dismad]

@SafeguardLabs

If you decide not to give me the grant

For the record I am only 1 of 26 possible votes.

@SafeguardLabs

I also want to say thank you for the support I have found here. Thank you to @dismad for sharing the information I needed to keep developing

Hope you continue to grow and develop, good luck.

[SafeguardLabs]

To be honest, I think I’m going to take some time off. I hope you all make good use of the crawler and the repository, and I hope to see it published later. I’m going to pay for the hosting for a year, but I still hope you’ll continue to improve it.

I know that zechub have a lot of experience. I’m going to look for something to distract myself with, and maybe I’ll do a few updates. GOOD LOOK

[SafeguardLabs]

and you can see my proposal in the Zcash Community Grants here. I didn’t use the LLM in this post. I also didn’t use it in this one Zcash Forum post. However, in the DAO proposal, I did use it. This is because, in the first proposal I made in the DAO, I summarized the original proposal. In my mind, I thought it would be a better proposal if I included the things I added in the ZCG proposal. That’s why I think the LLM probably wasn’t a good move. I opted for a summary because I thought my ZCG proposal was already well explained. Afterward, I made another proposal without the LLM, but in the last links, I lazily pasted them from the previous proposal and didn’t realize it. I just wanted to clarify this so no one thinks I tried to avoid addressing it.